Convincing win by Trinamool in civic polls

Trinamool Congress registered a resounding victory in the civic polls in West Bengal by winning eight of the 12 municipal bodies across the state, barely two months after consolidating its position in rural voters in the panchayat polls.

The Congress stood a distant second winning two municipalities and Left Front came third by winning only one.

"The Trinamool Congress has won in municipalities of Balurghat, Bardhaman, Gushkhara, Dugrajpur, Panihati, Habra, Diamond Harbour and Chakdah," State Election Commission secretary Tapas Roy said.

Congress won in Haldibari and Dalkhola municipal bodies with Left winning in Mekhiliganj.

The result was hung in Alipurduar municipal body as no party could reach the majority mark.

It is a huge victory for TMC particularly in Chakdah municipality in Nadia district and Burdwan in Burdwan district, known as Left citadel.

In Burdwan Municipality, the TMC won all the 35 wards. In the last civic polls in 2008, the Left Front had 30 wards in its fold.

In Chakdah Municipality, the TMC won in all 21 wards leaving none for the Left, though they had all except one in the last polls.

In Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district, TMC ousted the Left after 47 years.

The Left were ruling Burdwan, Chakdah and Balurghat municipalities for more than three decades.

TMC president and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is now on a tour in Junglemahal, a former Maoist hotbed, to review development projects, gave credit to the people.

Like the rural people, urban voters too reposed faith on the TMC and the victory would boost the party to carry out development programmes it started, she said at Purulia.

Stating that the party has bagged 70 per cent of the votes polled, she said the party would hold a meeting at the sprawling Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata on November 25 to celebrate the victory in panchayat and civic polls.